I dream of a long-lost land of sun and rain, a hearth of warm beauty blanketed by the breeze of summer. This place has many names; all are true and all are beautiful. It is here I long to find my home, tucked safely away behind the shades of murky shadow and the cold bite of winter. Both I know well. Both we all are. Both you shall find here, wrapped in word and song.

So reads the description of Yonas Campbell’s Bandcamp page. Who might this budding young poet/songwriter/singer be?

Growing up in the Hampshire countryside, from an early age Yonas felt a deep connection to the natural world around him. Often playing with a myriad of Star Wars and Indiana Jones action figures in the front garden of his family home he was no stranger to birdsong and the medicinal effects of the great outdoors. His mother bought him his first guitar when he was just 7, and despite taking a liking to his junior school guitar teacher, scales and practice books failed to reach Yonas’s young heart. However, upon moving to a preparatory school at the age of 9, his new guitar teacher recognised an untapped talent within his shy pupil and knew exactly how to draw it out. Out went the grade books and notated sheet music; in came tabs and rock riffs. By the end of his time at this school, Yonas had played bass and lead guitar in the school rock band and enjoyed many gigs alongside his peers, playing some of his favourite songs to large crowds.

As he entered his teenage years, Yonas’s spirituality became an increasingly important aspect of his sense of self. Ever a deep thinker, he had always asked questions of an existential kind; even as a young child, he endlessly pondered the ways of the world, wondering where exactly he might find an artistic or spiritual place to call home. During his teenage years,Yonas’s ear gravitated towards the mercurial sounds of Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and The 1975’s sophomore record, “I Like It When You Sleep…”

However, it was listening to U2’s iconic 1987 album “The Joshua Tree”' which began to fill Yonas’s heart with a deeper, more spiritual connection to the arts. The Edge’s soulful guitar parts combined with Bono’s soaring vocals and beautiful lyricism, held together by Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr’s tight rhythm playing, ensured that this collection of songs left an eternal mark on Yonas’s musical psyche. Music had shown that it could be a deeply spiritual medium.

During his time studying English Literature at Godalming College, Yonas discovered a profound connection to the Romantic poets of the early 19th century. In the work of William Blake, William Wordsworth and Percy Bysshe Shelley, Yonas found kindred spirits. The Romantic longing for pure human experience, natural beauty and freedom struck a chord with him; and analysis of their poetic techniques would prove instrumentally useful for Yonas in the years to follow. To this day, John Keats remains the foremost Romantic inspiration for Yonas’s writing.

Towards the end of his time at college, Yonas discovered and quickly became obsessed with Oasis, as millions of music fans worldwide have been since the early ‘90s. One of the many CDs on rotation in his car stereo was “Definitely Maybe”, the Mancunian band’s melodically bruising 1994 debut LP release. Such love of Oasis inspired Yonas to investigate both the music which had inspired their Britpop/punk energy, but also the legacy of such sounds on early 2000s British bands. This led Yonas to purchase a copy of The Libertines’s 2002 debut album, “Up The Bracket”.

Put simply this changed Yonas’s life.

Listening to the album severally in his car, he noticed that beneath the ramshackle attraction and chaos of the raw garage rock lay a remarkably witty and well-balanced literary lyricism, alongside a (criminally underappreciated) talent for jaunty and maverick melody. Delving into their catalogue he discovered the hidden gems of Peter Doherty’s work, from his time with Babyshambles to his beautiful solo projects. Doherty’s poetic spirit infused Yonas with a burgeoning desire to begin writing for himself, and reintroduced the budding poet to a more updated form of Romanticism. Visions of William Blake’s “Albion” became real world musical aspirations; and dreamlike impressions of Arcadia a tangible part of present human experience.

The guitar became central to the manifestation of Yonas’s creative outpouring and the primary vessel for the melodic expressions of his inner life. Poems and songs began to flow through him as his obsession with verse, metre, rhythm and rhyme soon transitioned into a talent for chords, lyrics and melody. Drawing from his sense of what it means to have faith and hope, and his own experience of romantic love and loss, Yonas’s songs have an undercurrent of spirituality alongside the more obvious Romanticism. Romance as not merely a fleeting human experience, but an existential path to higher human truths and values. Through real love we become one with “God”, liberated (albeit it momentarily) from the chains spoken of by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the “mind-forg’d manacles” of William Blake.

After releasing a string of lo-fi folk demos throughout 2020, Yonas began working with up-and-coming producer Jack O’Hea to record his debut EP release, titled “Another Side of Paradise” (a play on “This Side of Paradise”, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first novel). Recording the EP across 2021-22, the final result is a beautifully soulful and honest 4-track release, displaying the range of Yonas’s creative influences. While looking to progress his sound in future releases, Yonas hopes his music will always have a spiritual foundation.

Come aboard the Albion
and sail away with me.
We'll find our home amidst the waves
of blushing melody.

It takes some time to sail the seas
of ancient sound and song.
But rest assured, and hear the word
of Arcady anon.

Album cover art painted by Elaoise Benson.

Music composer and producer Clifford White is no stranger to the concept of weaving spirituality into his music. Over 37 years ago, his first album Ascension (1985, New World Music) aptly demonstrated his fascination for exploring astral vistas of sound, and with track titles like Hallowed Ground, The Calling and Eternal Dusk, it was immediately obvious even to the uninitiated that Clifford had a clear affinity for creating the subtle vibrations of spiritual music. Ascension sold over 50,000 copies, establishing a worldwide audience for Clifford’s own unique brand of music production, and kick-started his career.

Spirituality was a theme Clifford continued to explore in his further 20 albums, with titles like Revelation and The Healing Touch, and perhaps less obviously (but just as powerfully) in his mythological explorations of ancient history and legend in The Gods of Olympus, Myths of the Rock and Atlantis. Unlike other artists, rather than attempt to emulate the success he had initially achieved in the 80s with Ascension, Clifford's music continued to evolve and explore new territory, yet somehow always held true to his intention of creating atmospheres of peace, joy and serenity mixed with emotional sentimentality and reflection.

“Music is a beautiful language, yet so much of the music I hear nowadays are like words shouted in anger and frustration. I have always felt it’s my job to remind people that music can be beautiful, emotional and heartfelt. And the idea of spirituality itself seems to be something we are embarrassed about, that we hide from others. I can see no reason why spirituality shouldn't be proclaimed in everything that we do. For me, that's through my music.“

It would therefore come as no surprise that Clifford’s latest opus - his four album series entitled Heaven Sent, released in January 2022 via Clifford's own music label - takes another bold step along his spiritual journey. Four albums is no mean feat, and surely keeping a listeners attention for that long can't be easy? Yet listening to Clifford's albums, one marvels at the variety of music he discovers. One minute joyous, the next deeply emotional, yet each track flows effortlessly, one after the other. Clifford is a master craftsman, and this is revealed no more clearly than on his Heaven Sent series.

“With the Heaven Sent series, I really wanted to take the listener on a journey to heavens highest realms. To the astral oceans and secret gardens that exist in that wondrous dimension. To bear witness to the awe, drama and majesty of spiritual existence.”

We feel that Clifford has achieved exactly that with his latest series of albums. Whilst the first volume Heaven Sent serves as a gentle introduction to the aural landscapes he enjoys to paint, the second album Higher Power is far more dramatic. The third album Mystic Heart is wistful and bittersweet, and the final album Healing Waters joyous and uplifting. All different, and all excellent. With the Heaven Sent series, Clifford has truly captured the beauty and mystery of the spiritual dimension; perhaps unlike any composer that has attempted to do this before. At 36 tracks, spanning four 70 minute albums, it is a colossal achievement, both subtle and sublime, and one that we believe is destined to become a true classic for the history books.

Hear the Heaven Sent series by Clifford White on Spotify.

Purchase the Heaven Sent series on CD from Clifford's website:
https://www.cliffordwhite.co.uk/

Visit Clifford's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/21ctv

Connect with Clifford on Facebook, LinkedIn or Bandcamp.

William Hallworth-Cook, professionally known as desert sand feels warm at night, is a vaporwave artist and producer, as well as a key figure in the modern slushwave scene. Since late 2018, the luscious soundscapes and dreamy atmospheres have captured major attention form both slush and ambient fans alike, with many feeling deeply attached to the music on both an emotional and spiritual level.

Prior to 2018, William had been making small side projects, mostly for fun, exploring deep house and trance genres. This led him to discover new age and ambient music, and delve deep into the realm of vaporwave and dreampunk. After experimenting with some classic style vaporwave in late 2018, William began to formulate his iconic sound with his 2019 album 囚人 [Prisoner].

The album explores the idea of loneliness, dysphoria and feelings of being trapped within oneself. The long runtime, like most slushwave albums, allows the listener to get completely lost within their own mind and causes moments of deep reflection, nostalgia and mental exploration. The heavy bass really touches the soul throughout this album, particularly in the last track ‘出る’ [to leave], which is 23 minutes of pure bliss; voices soaring over a deserted landscape.

Album link: https://desertsand.bandcamp.com/album/--3

“I often think the best way to connect with any of my albums is to embrace the feelings and thoughts that come to you. Don’t be afraid to explore some of the more unusual senses - music is one of the few mediums we have that can allow this. Whilst there are themes in many of my albums, I am always intrigued to hear the unique personal connections people find when listening to them, and sometimes it’s quite surprising!”

William began to connect with his music a lot more during the making of 水​に​流​す [Forgive & Forget], released in May 2019, which was also his first experiment with sample-free slushwave. Prior to this album, every album he produced utilised samples from genres such as 90s J-pop and soul, as most vapor-adjacent genres did. When this album came around it was quite a breakthrough in his production style, and began a trend in the slushwave scene towards making original music and sampling that instead.

Not only can you feel the beauty of this album in sounds and textures, but also in the songwriting and composing. The melodies are delicate and heartfelt and complements the spacious reverb extremely well. Feelings of peace and love are prevalent throughout and are emphasised by the melancholic chord progression which William utilises so expressively.

“Forgive and Forget was a real treat for me to make, and as my first sample-free slushwave album it holds a special place in my heart. I remember when I was actually making it, getting emotional from hearing the slushed versions. It felt like my own expressions were radiating from this sound palette I had so frequently used for samples in the past, almost like double the expression. I can tell from the reviews of this album that people find inner peace from this album, which is really heartwarming considering that is also what I strongly felt in making it.”

Album link: https://desertsand.bandcamp.com/album/--10

His most well-known album is 新​世​界​の​弟​子​た​ち [New World Disciples], which tells a story of somebody who wants to leave their uninteresting, menial life and join the new world full of life and positive energy.

An excellent summary can be found from the Needlejuice records release page on their website:
Melding the holistic, layered ambience of slushwave with the melodic worldbuilding of dreampunk, William’s breathtaking work transports listeners to futuristic cities, naturalistic vistas and lonely highways. Befitting the wholly original musical content of the album is desert sand’s most explicit concept yet. 新世界の弟子たち explores spirituality and new age religion as an escape from the dull, bleak and dehumanising realities of modern civilization.

Melancholy expressions of desire and longing are transformed into euphoric movements of eclesiastic triumph and fulfilment, tinged with the knowledge that something greater is waiting out of sight at the end of an unending, arduous journey. Moody, haunting and yet uplifting, 新世界の弟子たち cements desert sand feels warm at night as a scene-transcending heavyweight of expressionistic soundcraft. It bridges the divide between underground movements such as dreampunk and more mainstream ethereal electronic music, as much Julianna Barwick as 2814. In doing so, it proves that these scenes are not just here to stay, but only beginning to reach their greatest heights.

“Creating the environment that New World Disciples so heavily relies upon transporting the listener to was a tricky idea to realise, but through intent listening I managed to convey my own emotions into the sound and the final outcome almost acts as a metaphor for my life at the time, which was full of many depressive episodes. I managed to pull through though, and creating these albums helped me a lot in understanding and dealing with these problems. It’s the same with every new album I create - all the emotion and feeling I continually explore within myself I really need to express in another form. For me, it just happened to be slushwave.”

Album link: https://desertsand.bandcamp.com/album/--25

Elise and Charlie are sacred music artists based in Devon (UK), who met at one of Elise’s community Kirtan events whilst she was also looking for someone special to co-produce her next mantra album, following a successful crowdfunding campaign. 

Charlie’s arrival began an artistic collaboration that soon became much more, with their love story blossoming as they worked together on their album. 2021 was their year of creativity, with the release of their album ‘Hope Love Faith’ on July 23rd and the birth of their baby boy, Arkaya, on October 17th. 

Elise’s introduction to the spiritual world was through joining her mother at spiritual events as a child. This sparked a curiosity which Elise followed through reading books about spirituality, and channelling. Whilst in London at dance school, she discovered yoga and found the practice an antidote to the London lifestyle. At 22, she left the capital and returned to Somerset discovering Soka Gakkai International, a worldwide society for the creation of value, founded upon the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. She devoted herself to a twice-daily chanting practice and became involved with the meetings and activities of the community. 

Alongside this, at the age of 25, Elise trained as a yoga teacher with The Devon School of Yoga and began her journey of teaching a practice that she had found great value in. During her training, she was introduced to many yogic practices, including Kirtan where her love for devotional singing and the power of chanting was born. The melodic elements of mantra spoke to the singer and musician within Elise, as she had been a folk singer for many years. 

Elise’s father passed away when she was 30 years old, and this triggered a realisation that something needed to change for her, both in her personal practice and as a musician. Elise recalls some wise souls encouraging her to fully dive into her Kirtan practice and to allow her creativity to merge and dovetail with her heart's desire to sing her prayers through the mantras she was discovering. She followed that advice, and everything changed, with Kirtan becoming her core practice, and her yoga teaching evolving to include Kirtan. 

In 2019, Elise released Lakshmi, an hour-long mantra album which was made by the request of Elise’s teacher, Padma Devi Sumananda. 50% of the proceeds from this album is donated to the Heart of Living Yoga Foundation’s incredible charitable work around the world. Elise was able to travel with the charity to Sri Lanka, visiting remote regions and assessing the needs of those living there and delivering vital resources. It was after this humbling experience, that the Lakshmi album was born. 

Ultimately, Elise was able to merge her creativity with her spiritual practice to come into alignment with her soul purpose, to live and love from her heart centre and to live according to her values and beliefs, qualities that inspire her every day. 

Growing up, Charlie’s parents were spiritual seekers, and he was immersed in the spiritual world. He recalls being presented with many opportunities to learn about and discover spirituality for himself. Growing up in India he was surrounded by Kirtan and other spiritual practices and found his spiritual home in Buddhism and Yoga. At the age of six he began to practice yoga to support his asthma and was able to cure it through Pranayama (breathwork), which inspired a lifelong journey of developing his innate skills as a healer and energy worker. 

Alongside this spiritual awakening as a child, was Charlie’s creative awakening. His love of music came from his involvement in dance which began with him joining his mother’s ballet school at the age of four years old. Twelve years later, his professional studio career began and since then has involved sound engineering, music production and DJing. 

Like Elise, Charlie also spent a great deal of time following a Buddhist path (the New Kadampa Tradition), which involved chanting and mantra and led him to numerous retreats and fulfilling, deeply personal, experiences throughout his spiritual growth. 

Naturally, Charlie’s plentiful experience in working with mantra, and his gifts in music and healing combined, and his vision and dream to be part of a mantra band, healing through music, was born. 

Before meeting, Elise and Charlie had both been following Buddhist traditions, and were deeply immersed in spiritual practices, including mantra. They were both also working as musicians, and had a heartfelt desire to share mantra with others. They had individually merged their own creativity and spiritual paths, so coming together felt like a natural progression of the journey’s they had been on personally. 

When they began to collaborate, they were able to share their joy and passion of working with mantra, complimenting each other's energies and working together towards a shared vision of the world. As their love story developed, they recognised that to them, their work feels like the natural result of them meeting and connecting from their heart centres, supporting each other to do what they love and share the tools and practices that have supported them throughout their journey’s. 

Blending their personal spiritual paths, and their unique musical talents, Elise and Charlie have created contemporary compositions of ancient mantras and sacred songs which they share through their exquisite Kirtan events and retreats. 

They are truly devoted to creating and sharing music that inspires transformation, spiritual awakening, peace, healing and unity in diversity through their kirtan concerts, yoga and sound baths, cacao ceremonies, healing retreats, and online events and classes. 

More recently, their devotion to sharing Kirtan has developed into ‘Learn to Lead Kirtan’ events which have taken the form of taster workshops, a 3-month closed apprenticeship and more recently, a residential retreat where attendees were invited to dive deeply into their own devotional singing practice and learn to play mantras from Elise and Charlie’s repertoire. 

It is their retreats that really capture the essence of their spiritual philosophy and enable people to come together to create a community and go on a shared journey together over the course of a few days. This year, Elise and Charlie held their ‘Enliven the Spirit’ retreat, which beautifully united both their shared and individual offerings into a call to celebrate the sacredness of life through breath, movement, music, silence, nature, massage, dance, ceremony, food, ritual, heartfelt connections, and community. It was a deep dive into the beauty of embracing the inner seeker, rediscovering joy, igniting passion, and freeing expression of the truest self. 

In addition to their own events, Elise and Charlie are often invited to participate in retreats and festivals, offering their Kirtan and ceremonies in a variety of different settings. They are always delighted to be invited to share their gifts and offerings, keen to expand their connections and the sense of community that generates as a result of their work.

The examples above, and indeed, everything that Elise and Charlie offer, is infused with the energy of their firm belief that within everyone is a light and purpose, and that all beings have a gift to bring to the world. This shared vision that they hold drives them to support others to find their inner purpose and their gift, and to share this, with a deep inner knowing that doing so will contribute to making the world a better place. 

Elise and Charlie are now immersed in raising a family together, and in many ways, this has become their spiritual practice. As such, their vision of the world and the work they do feels even more pertinent, as they wish to make the world a better place, not only for their own children, but for all living beings, and for all generations to come. 

With this in mind, and after being incredibly moved by David Attenborough’s witness statement film ‘A Life On Our Planet’ they have sought to ensure that their work reaches further than those they directly work with. Elise and Charlie have become a climate positive workforce and have partnered with Ecologi to responsibly plant trees and fund the best climate crisis solutions around the world. They make a regular monthly donation and plant trees for every attendee at their events, retreats and online classes, as well as for purchases of their albums. So far they have planted over 1700 trees!

It is with this energy and philosophy that Elise and Charlie do their work - with an intention, wish and passion to contribute to the greater good. 

In terms of their personal vision for the future, Elise and Charlie hope to continue to create, record and produce their mantras - particularly because, as their repertoire grows, so do requests from loyal supporters for more recordings! In the not too distant future, there is hope for another crowdfunding campaign, and ultimately another mantra album to add to ‘Hope Love Faith’, ‘A Space For You’ (a guided meditation album) and Lakshmi (Elise’s 2019 solo album, which was made by request of Elise's teacher Padma Devi Sumananda, and donates 50% of its proceeds to the Heart of Living Yoga Foundation's incredible charitable work around the world). 

Their wider vision and wish for the world is perfectly captured by one of their favourite mantras ‘Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu’ translated as “May all beings everywhere be happy, free and at peace. And may my thoughts, words and actions contribute towards that happiness, freedom and peace somehow"

Elise and Charlie have a number of additional offerings beyond their devotional music, all with the aim of sharing the tools that have supported them the most, and to enable others to rise to their fullest potential. 

Elise is a yoga and pilates teacher, currently running online classes and 1-1s weekly. She is also a trained Life Coach, specialising in women's work, offering one-to-one sessions and programmes in addition to her work as a women’s circle facilitator. Charlie currently offers online Qi Gong classes and is a highly trained healer and energy worker, with over 25 years experience offering a wide variety of treatments from Ashburton in Devon. 

In the Spring of 1982, when I was 21 and a first-year music composition student at the Guildhall School of Music, I suddenly had a very surprising experience. I was dealing with acute anxiety, due to a sudden split-up from a boyfriend, when something in me suddenly, profoundly shifted. As the stress was building, I decided to go for a walk to try and steady myself. I got downstairs, left the building, and arrived on the pavement. There I asked myself a question: “where are you going??” I couldn’t answer the question. My mind went blank and in the next moment a super-charged, benign, high-energy column of white light, coming from what felt like the heavens, shot through the crown of my head and filled me up from tip to toe. I was immersed in a column of bliss, love, and complete oneness with everything. I remained fixed to the spot and blinded by this light for an indeterminate amount of time… After some time, my sight slowly returned again, and I could see the world around me. Everything looked brand new. I felt brand new. The stress was completely gone, and I felt a deep inner peace for the first time in my life.

It became clear, as time went on after this experience, that I was going to offer my services as a musician in a way that was open to, and curious about, the bigger questions. For example - ‘what is music?’ A question that was posed to the children at the start of every Gemini music workshop, run by composer Peter Wiegold, and in which I assisted as artist-leader, during the mid 1980’s. It is a question that travels with me still.

To jump about twenty years to the early 2000’s (as this article has word limits) I found myself drawn back towards Indian classical vocal music, first taught to me by Viram Jasani at the Guildhall in 1985, and, remembering my courses during the 1990’s with Chloe Goodchild and Gillet Petit, I wanted to learn more about the Raga, particularly the opening, non-rhythmic, alap, which, it seems to me, involves singing while in meditation. In contrast, the fiery-earthy fast gamak ornamentations also drew me. I participated in several rounds of study at the Asian Music Circuit Summer School learning the basics of the Khyal style North Indian Raga with pandits Rajan and Sajan Misra, between 1999 – 2005.

After so many years of freely improvised voice work with my clients (- the twenty years we can’t cover here) - while running Therapeutic Voicework sessions, I enjoyed - and probably needed, the discipline of study again, and to deepen my vocal skills.

The slow introductory Raga alap is a very detailed form of vocal mirroring of psyche. The singer meditates vocally on the poetic and mythical qualities of the rasa – the flavour of the pitches in the mode and its tuning. This microscopic enquiry into the scale, introducing each note, each slide, and tuning shruti interval, reveals the singer’s depth of devotion to the musical moment.

I was experimenting for some time with this kind of improvised singing, drawing on the Raga alap and also on other important influences, including the ‘Extended Vocal Technique’ of contemporary classical music, used by singers such as Cathy Berberian, and the Cante Hondo (deep song) of the Flamenco gypsies, with whom I had spent some time in the early nineties. I was also drawing on Tai Chi, which I had begun in the early 1980s.

As I vocalised - I moved. It is the most natural thing in the world. My Tai Chi movements were forming in harmony with the meditational vocal, improvised alap - and the movements were also improvised, not formal as in the Tai Chi sequence. The two things just came together, unconsciously, and in my own, improvisatory way.

As I was experimenting, a friend and Qi Gong instructor (similar to Tai Chi), Jazz Rasool, who was with me as I was practising said, “as you are singing the 'chi' (vital energy' in Chinese medicine) is activating in my body and ‘moving’ me. It feels like a vocal form of Tai Chi”.

The title ‘Vocal Tai Chi’ was thus, born, with this comment from Jazz - in 2009. It was two years before I stepped out with it at the end of 2011. From then on it has been of interest to many people, who have wanted to discover their own chi-infused free-singing voice.

The most well-known part of the pure Tai Chi movement style, has slow, graceful and disciplined movements, which might suggest, on first glance, that Vocal Tai Chi was also a slow, graceful and similarly disciplined approach to voicework. There is indeed that that parallel, relative to the experience of each participant. However, Tai Chi is also dynamic and employs spontaneous and energetic processes as well. Masters of Tai Chi can activate, through their sage use of the chi vital energy, intense shaking releases in their students - trauma-release, if you will.

Vocal Tai Chi also moves across a wide spectrum, drawing particularly on a practice that identifies a different model of vocal timbres, expanding the usual SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) divisions in the voice, in favour of a wider ranging, less classical, model. The voice itself now becomes a chi transmitter, as the canvas of the spontaneous song is none other than your own life, as it is arising. This can sometimes include trauma release – but more often includes an imaginative flow of body-mind-voice-play. However the voice is approached, it always includes the art of vocal improvisation, a flow-form that uses many skills that can be developed.

While Vocal Tai Chi is not a direct vocal mirroring of Tai Chi, as there is not a specific vocal phrase that for example, goes with the Tai Chi arm-expanding movement ‘white crane spreads it wings’ it is as if these two independent worlds, Tai Chi and free-singing, are each entering into the field of the other, dissolving lines of separation that divide these independent worlds into a third space, that draws on both paradigms, each supporting the other.

In September 2022 I announced the first Apprenticeship in Vocal Tai Chi to share over thirty years of experience of doing this kind of work. The twenty years missed out in this brief article were spent developing techniques to help people therapeutically, using the sounding-singing-moving voice and body, based on a practice called Therapeutic Voicework.

This article consists of some short and adapted extracts of text from the chapter “Beyond Music Workshops – A Composer and A Community” written by Jenni Roditi, to appear in the “Routledge Companion to Women’s Musical Leadership – The Nineteenth Century And Beyond” - forthcoming, November 2023.

Apprenticeship in Vocal Tai Chi runs April – July 2023, North London, UK. There is a taster workshop for the apprenticeship on January 8th 2023 in North London. Applications close - February 1st 2023.

Analise Parkins is a singer songwriter from Liverpool, she has over 15 year’s experience of singing, writing and performing. Her spiritual journey (and work with the ancestors) has inspired her to write powerful and healing songs about the ‘burning times’, being a woman, the landscape and connecting to the sisterhood. Analise started her self-development journey in her early twenties, when she lived and worked as a Singer and Entertainment Manager based mainly in the Southwest of England. During this time, she committed herself to following a path of self-discovery while attending many festivals, events, workshops and training courses. Her own experiences taught her the importance and benefits of embodied practices, vibrational energy and the magic of going within.

Since Analise was a little girl, she loved just loved to sing! Singing was her way of expressing herself freely, especially through her occasionally turbulent teenage years. She would throw open the curtains of her bedroom window of a morning and sing her heart out to the blossom tree! Then in the evenings, she would serenade the starry night sky using her treasured karaoke machine! As she sang to the outside world, she always knew she was connecting to something much bigger than herself by using her voice as a tool of creative communication. 

Being brought up in a catholic household, Analise sang in the folk group at her local church, this was an early way in which she got used to connecting to the local community through her voice. Singing was not only a passion, but it was also a spiritual endeavour and a sacred and healing medicine to her soul. Singing got her through some very tough times and helped her to release emotions, express her true being and gave her the strength and hope to stay happy and fulfilled.

She always harboured a desire to expand her spirituality beyond the narrow confinements of her catholic upbringing. She started learning about many different alternative therapies including crystals, reiki, colour and Angel therapies to name but a few. Through these holistic therapies, she began a new and enlightening path of self-development and self-discovery.

During her early twenties, Analise knew she wanted to follow her passion to sing, so she made the brave decision to follow her dream and apply for several professional singing jobs. She eventually landed a post singing in a resident band on a holiday park by the coast in Devon. It was there where Analise started to feel a newly found freedom she had never felt or encountered before. Living by the sea made her feel more connected to the land and she took this significant opportunity to slowly and gently begin to find herself. At the same time, she collected and devoured many self-development books and just like before, singing and music were the healing medicine that she carried along with her on the journey.

While living in Devon Analise attended several spiritual festivals and it was at these gatherings that she discovered a number of talented musicians singing their own inspirational songs. Analise bought and listened to many CDs and these gradually became her preferred choice of listening material thereafter. She became extremely moved by this alternative, passionate and expressive music. As a child, her parents had always played folk music at home, so this familiarity happily took her back to her roots. These creative artists became her focus and inspiration and for the first time, she no longer felt truly satisfied singing non-meaningful pop songs. She soon developed a strong desire to sing and perform more expressive and soulful songs of connection.

Analise’s self-development journey continues to this day. She has explored the range of her voice in many varied and different ways; chanting, toning, sound healing and kirtan. She has taught herself some basic guitar skills and chords and has recently experimented with writing her own compositions.

In 2019, Analise became aware of the inspirational work of Cali White. Cali was holding full moon ceremonies throughout the UK to honour the ancestors, who were persecuted during what is commonly referred to as ‘The burning times’. Cali wanted to bring healing to the inherited trauma that we often still carry from this deeply disturbing part of history. As soon as Analise became aware of this work, it moved her emotionally, as she could feel her ancestors surrounding her and she knew she needed to explore this work on a deeper level. She embarked on a journey with 33 other women, who came together to collectively help to heal and bring awareness to the ancestral wounds that many of us carry from the Burning times. 

As Analise connected with this work, songs and lyrics began to emerge and within a year she had gathered enough songs together to create her first album. She then collaborated with the very talented multi-instrumentalist Michael Holcroft at Upholland studios and together they created her first album titled ‘Witch Wound’. 

Each of the 33 women involved in the ‘I am Witch’ project produced their own creative piece to collectively feature in the exhibition, which took place at The Story Institute in Lancaster in January 2022. Analise’s Album ‘Witch Wound’ was her chosen creative piece that she contribution to this Exhibition.

In her own words, Analise describes her intention behind her album - a witch wound is an inherited trauma that has been passed down through our DNA from our ancestors. It is a collective wound that holds us back and keeps us small, stopping us from shining our light. Now is the time to move away from this trauma, become less afraid and begin to shine brightly in order to heal ourselves, our ancestors and our beautiful planet. In sharing this album with you, it is my intention to take you on a spiritual journey to help connect you with your ancestors, your own inner wounds and encourage you to shine and be BIG, BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL.

Analise runs a therapeutic practice called Shine Brightly Wellbeing. She established this business to express her passion for holistic therapies, holding space for others and empowering them in the process. She runs Women’s circles, Chakra Dancing Workshops, Retreats and Heart Song Circles. Analise is a fully trained and professional Crystal Therapist, Angelic Reiki Practitioner and a Laughter Yoga Leader. She is also a Chakra Dancing and Creative Visualisation Facilitator, Singing Mamas Leader and a Relax Kids Coach. She is committed to her work and her music as she continues on her own path of self-development while teaching others. It is now her highest intention to share her wisdom, knowledge and music with others to encourage them to step into their power, find their inner light and allow themselves to shine.

Analise is currently working on her second Album, which is due to be released at the beginning of 2023.

My name is Bob Hillary, and I make music that is earthy, spiritual, rootsy - and from my heart.

I believe the world is now, more than ever, in need of authentic HUMAN spiritually conscious music -  to help ease the challenges & difficulty of these times we live in.

I make music because I see the world is in need of it. I see - and feel - music to essentially be LOVE. And I see this world to be sorely in need of more Love…

I've been making music since I was very young - about five years old. My first experiences of music were discovering that my ancient cassette-player (remember those?) could in fact record and layer tracks of sound…so my first experiences of making music were going out into nature on the farm where I grew up and recording bird sounds and the sounds of nature, then playing guitar (pretty badly) on top of these sounds.

I was always drawn to nature, and now decades on…nature continues to be the thing that inspires me creatively. The sheer BEAUTY of nature…seems to cause music to pour through me… and I write songs from this place.

I'm like seriously into World music. It has, and continues to inspire the music that I create. I’m a bit of an adventurer - I've spent time in deepest Africa - playing and learning tribal African music, India - where I've been studying Drupad - an ancient form of devotional chanting, Morocco - where I've studied middle-eastern mystical music - and I've spent time with the Maori people in deepest New Zealand… learning about their spirituality and their ancient musical practices. I've actually done four Nationwide Tours of New Zealand now - such is my resonance with that land.  So on each of my albums I have drawn upon the influence from my travels and what I've picked up musically, energetically and spiritually… and each album has a particular feel to it. Tribal indigenous music has touched and affected me very strongly.

I've made five albums so far. And Sacred - an album of Gospel-infused funk soul folk blues for these times - is my new offering. This is one of my favourite songs from the album.

Spirituality is also a big part of my music. I had a very profound Spiritual Awakening at the tender age of twenty-seven… I went, overnight, from being the leader and singer of well-known touring signed band The Ruffness - to becoming bedridden for two years - with ME, fibromyalgia and depression. I was - at the lowest point of it - sectioned and put in a mental hospital (luckily my mates came and rescued me and dragged me out - thank god!)

Up until that point, I was like most other people… drinking my socks off on the weekends and living ‘in avoidance’ of my pain. But everything changed literally overnight -  healers and spiritual people started showing up in my life, and I found the spiritual path. I discovered meditation, yoga, Shamanism, Reiki, and Plant Medicines. So I stopped drinking and started cleaning up my act. For the next five years I committed myself to the spiritual path…and to healing.

As I did, so my music started to change!  I started writing songs about healing, spirituality and positive change. I stopped writing songs from my pain and started writing them from INSPIRATION. I started to ‘channel’ songs. As I cleared my personal traumas - so I found my ‘channel’… and it started to open up in a very powerful way.

Now All of my songs are ‘downloaded’. Not from the internet - but from Great spirit! 

This is the theme of most of my songs. This is what motivates me. The Spiritual. The ‘Sacred’. The sheer beauty of life. The Goodness. This is what spirituality has shown me. Continues to show me - day by day.

I like to channel the power of the Earth up through me and use myself as a vessel for that Power. Its a humbling experience to channel the power of the Earth - and I feel these times are calling for more people who can stand true in the power of the earth and stand up and say what needs to be said. And that is what I try to do through my music.

My new Album - SACRED - released in December 2022 and recorded in the incredible Rockfield Studios in the Welsh mountains - carries this message in the form of conscious modern soul, gospel, blues, & folk music. This album is here to bring some change! That's why I've made it. And that's why the album cover is of a Lion. Because lions are STRONG. And strong times call for strong music!

We worked with legendary producer Matt Butler, who has worked with Pink Floyd and John Martyn, on this album. We pulled out all the stops. I’d love it if you would check it out as I'm just supremely proud of this music. Its just a really HUGE soulful & positive sound. Medicine music for these nutty times!

I live in Somerset, UK, and the long-standing folky musical ancestry of this country has also been a huge influence on me. In particular the 60/70’s era. I grew up listening to my parent’s record collection: Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Bob Marley, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bob Dylan. What an era! These singer-songwriters have made a huge mark on me.

I have made five albums so far in my career. I always work with a full band - drawing upon and calling in my best mates and creating a rich musical ‘tapestry’ on each album. I love to work with other musicians. Its just such an incredible experience being inside a recording studio CREATING. Nothing beats it. Sex comes close. But nothing touches making music. Its just a very deeply rewarding and healing thing to do.

I'm a full-time committed musician. Mainly because I just can’t bear to do anything else! I hear music in my head most of the time… and it doesn’t make me very ‘employable’ haha!

Its not an easy life, but its a lot of fun…  never a dull moment. And I'm super grateful for being able to do what I do.

Here are some recent Comments about my music:

‘In a World that increasingly assaults our ears with glitches, beeps & ringtones there is need for something that grounds all this electricity. Bob’s music does just that.’ - Music Week.

‘Good medicine for pretty nuts times..!’ - Jamie Catto. (founder of One Giant Leap)

‘Bob is a folk artist pushing a positive message. Its the combination of funky folk with meaningful lyrics that makes his music so engaging...’ - Tim Ferrone EMI RECORDS

‘Standout music with heartfelt, clear messages from one of our most charismatic and committed of troubadours.’ - Permaculture Magazine

‘Change-maker, song-carrier, writer and earth-protector Bob Hillary has come up trumps with his new album ‘Sacred’. It’s a mature work, uplifting but at the same time vulnerable in its audacious baring of the soul. There’s a strong sense that Bob’s time has come. At a time when most of us would surely agree that change is needed like never before - Bob steps up a flagbearer for how we might do that.’ - Pete Laurence - The Big Chill founder

Purchase Bob's latest album SACRED at Amazon.

Empty House is the moniker for multi-instrumentalist Fred Laird. A name conjured up to reflect the state of (no) mind called Mushin (Japanese) or Wuxin (Chinese). No-mind is a state of awareness practised by Zen and Taosist monks as well as martial artists and is achieved when a person's mind is free from thoughts of anger, fear, or ego. This concept of no-mind is the aim of Laird to create ambient works devoid of any real influence, to go with to flow, with one’s own feelings. A musical dedication to Buddha.

Laird was born and still resides in the small seaside town of Fleetwood Lancashire. A sleepy place with one foot still firmly embedded in the Victorian sand. Brought up through the heady days of punk and post punk of the 70’s and early 80’s where he learned to pick up a chord or two enough to join local bands in search of noise enlightenment before venturing into the space rock scene of the early noughties fronting cosmic rockers Earthling Society. During the next 13 years Laird played alongside such luminaries as Julian Cope, Hawkwind, Arthur Brown and a host of other space rockers and cosmic freaks in their search for the two chord, hallucinogenic, cod spiritual high.

In 2018 Laird decided to end this period of music to concentrate on more spiritual music. This was influenced by two visits to China and the effect that the people’s spirituality had on his way of thinking. Returning just before the Covid outbreak, Laird decided on a change of lifestyle that would take him on the path of Buddhism, Taoism, sobriety and the martial arts. This would also reflect in the music being created in his DIY bedroom studio.

Laird has released 2 albums under the Empty House moniker – ‘Mushin’ and ‘Blue Bamboo’ which have seen releases via Echodelick and Cruel Nature records in vinyl and cassette formats as well as being available on his Empty House Bandcamp site.
Favourably compared to John Hassell’s 4th world music, Brian Eno and Harold Budd. Laird takes the ambience of these visionary musicians and mixes them with the non motorik aspects of Krautrock; especially Laird’s foremost influence Popol Vuh.

Laird creates music for peaceful reflection but can sometimes use the yin yang aspect to pull you away into darker territory. Ominous tones can spring out of the most serene moments of his music, like the disturbance of unwanted thought during meditation. Ethnic instruments and natural field recordings are used to give the listener a feel of nature, a feel of the Tao though the Tao cannot be touched.

Mushin (2021)

Mushin was recorded over a three-day period in March 2021. The idea was originally based on the music set out by The Taj Mahal Travellers freeform soundscapes, Midori Takada’s marimba and harmonium excursions and Susumu Yokoto’s minimalistic rhythms.

The Zen Buddhist approach of No-Mind or Mushin was adopted in the freewheelin’ way the album was created which was in a consciously unconscious manner with no actual idea or blueprint beforehand. Pick up whatever instrument is around and play and see what happens.

The instruments that were around at the time of recording were - Organ, Guitar, Bouzouki, Shakuhachi Flute, Dizi Flute, Temple block, Tibetan bells, biscuit tin, a buddha radio, handpan, congas and a Gakken Synth.

Some field recordings were created by capturing a leaking faucet in a garden centre and the eerie sound of some bamboo chimes recorded in Laird's garden the day after the first lockdown started (no traffic on the roads, up in the air or out in the street).

'Mushin' means no-mind or empty mind that you attain through meditation or if you’re a martial artist through your patterns (Poomsae, Kata etc). However, recording an album on achieving Mushin, would be the sound of silence.

So, the idea was to create drifting pieces of music like when tiny thoughts or images drift in and out of your head whilst trying to achieve Mushin – The distractions so to speak.

Blue Bamboo (2022)

Blue Bamboo consists of four improvised pieces for meditation or total chill out. Recorded over a few days in February and built upon drones created by the organ through a dream pedal or Tanpura box. The tracks were then splashed with colour and hues with treated piano, shakuhachi flute, bells, synth, field recordings and other instruments. Inspired by Laird’s faith in Buddhism as well as the music of Eno, David Sylvian, Midori Takada and Popol Vuh. This was recorded as the build up to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine took place where the studio became a calming environment to the doom and gloom atmosphere that was/is prevalent in the world.

Carys is an autistic singer songwriter based in Suffolk with an enthusiastic and evocative stage presence displaying a natural charm that has won her many admirers, not only within the folk scene, but also far beyond it. She knew from the age of sixteen that she was going to sing professionally. 

Her musical partnership with UK synth veteran David Wright and the avant-garde rock band Code Indigo have won many plaudits from fans and media alike. The CDs ‘Take the Money and Run’ and the critically acclaimed 2017 release ‘Prophecy’ were followed by a series of successful UK and European concerts, including two nights supporting the German music legends Tangerine Dream.

As a child, Carys was fascinated by nature and would insist upon “visiting a forest” on every family holiday (whether the forest was indeed a “forest” or a dozen trees next to a layby on a Welsh hillside), utterly convinced she was going to see deer and badgers around every corner. “My parents’ house was detached and had a large garden, which I still miss. I spent a lot of time as a child lying under the lilac tree reading. I didn't have many friends, but I did have my imagination, and that could take me anywhere I wanted to go.”

Coupled with autism and anxiety disorder, she came to realise that her mind has a unique way of producing some interesting songs. Her first solo album ‘A Different Kind Of Normal’, produced by David Wright, certainly reflects that with its roots firmly in folk, but also dipping into rock, pop and em. And as she explains with a smile when discussing the album; “The title describes me perfectly”. 

Despite being a natural performer, appearing at festivals and venues all over the UK, and teaching songwriting workshops, creating her own music didn't come naturally and Carys has honed her craft over the past two decades. One hears talk about autistic 'super powers' but the truth is, while some people on the autism spectrum do seem to have unusual abilities, with these come the communication difficulties, the sensory processing disorder, the inability to blend in with conventional society and myriad other issues.

Carys's 'super power', if such a thing exists, is memory - she can replay conversations word for word, recalls events and the dates on which they happened (for example she began writing her first song “Siren Call” from the point of view of the mermaid who is trapped by her own nature, on May 7th 2004, though it first song wasn't completed until the following year), and even remembers really useful things like the latin names of every big cat species in the world. “Despite all this, I didn’t receive my official diagnosis until I was forty, but now I know why I am a Different Kind of Normal and this has explained a lot of my early life.”

Unsurprisingly, Carys's songs rarely feature traditional subjects. Her pagan beliefs feature heavily in her music, together with her own unique outlook on life. You will struggle to find songs on conventional themes such as love and romantic relationships, instead she writes about nature and the seasons (“Litha”, “Gather In” and “The Season Turns”), folk legends and faerie tales (“Child of Green”, “Rewritten”, “Black Dog Rides Tonight”), autism (“13”), songs from the viewpoint of a Yew tree in a cemetery (“The Sentinel”) or the entire universe (“Apocalypse Dreams”). 

“People always say you should write what you know – well, I know foxes and the moon far better than humans” she explains. Indeed, foxes feature in at least three of her songs to date - “Beating the Streetlights Home”, “Reynardine” and the future single “Fox on the Marsh”. 

Carys released her second solo album “WolfSong” during the first lockdown in Spring 2020. She was in the studio with David Wright when the prime minister made the announcement and a lot of the mixing of “WolfSong” took place remotely. “It was certainly a learning curve – although I'd watched how David works for several years this was the first time I needed to really think about how to make a track sound the way I wanted it to! David and I often joke about a 'psychic link' because of how regularly we text each other at exactly the same time when we're working on a project.”

“WolfSong was and is very close to my heart. It contains “Bastet”, a hymn to my patron goddess and probably my most spiritual track, “Gaia”/”Gaia Dreaming”. Gaia started as a song for the earth but soon morphed into something much more, firstly because the line “whichever name you know me by, call and I'll be there” reminds me that whatever our beliefs, we all share the same earth. Secondly, when I played my livestream album launch and reached the line “in the midst of loneliness, know you're not alone” I was reminded again that we are all part of the same world.” 

Carys is a unique talent, beautifully interpreting her own composed material and traditional songs alike as well as showcasing her beautiful and evocative vocal textures within ambient electronic music. Her latest single, “Blackberries and Butterflies”, was released as a free download on 2^nd December.

ZenZone’s journey towards the realms of spirituality was not an overnight event. A fiercely atheist upbringing led to an ironically dogmatic view of traditional spiritualism, which was cemented by voluntarily attending a Catholic high school. However, in stark contrast to this, from a relatively young age music was very much his religion.

A keen guitarist, ZenZone was heavily involved in various bands from the age of 14, ranging from indie, funk, and even rock and metal. The highlight of this particular era was performing on the Greenpeace stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2008, although in the years running up to that particular event, he had started to fall for a new musical medium - solo music production.

Attracted by the ability to just make music without collaboration and the associated pros and cons that come with working with others, over a 12 year period ZenZone went on to release multiple records under various aliases. This included a number of vinyl releases, and the music was very much inspired by and embedded in the club culture of UK and Europe. This meant he was lucky enough to DJ around the world, from Ibiza to Tokyo. However, during this time, he experienced a change in how he viewed the spiritual world.

After reading a book about near death experiences (“NDE’s”), ZenZone started to question his previously unshakeable views on spirituality, and indeed the universe. How could these stories of travelling to ethereal realms, meeting long dead relatives (some that were previously unknown to the “deceased” until their NDE) tally with his previously steadfast belief that what the eye could see was all there was to the world? This was quite the paradigm shift in terms of how he had thought about the world up until this point. While he didn’t believe that there was a heaven in the traditional sense of the word, it was starting to seem like there were clearly different levels of reality - whether that be consciousness, or even something related to quantum mechanics - that were not recognised by the general population. If we are all energy, and the law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created or destroyed but only converted, then where does our energy go when it leaves the physical body? What is it converted to? Do we transcend the physical realm and rejoin the mass consciousness of the Universe, as most who experience an NDE seem to proclaim? Are we all just the Universe experiencing itself in the physical form? Do we continue to be reincarnated in perpetuity? Inevitably, this took him down a rabbit hole of exploration, culminating in an affinity to the practice of mindfulness meditation, which in turn opened up some of the principles of buddhism and, ultimately, taught him about the most important force in the universe - compassion.

Compassion is truly the most powerful energy in the universe, and ZenZone has tried to learn to be compassionate at all times, even when it feels counterintuitive or even impossible. This level of compassion can lead to a profound effect on those around you, and ZenZone is a fervent believer that a lot of what is going on in the world would be much more manageable if people in general demonstrated even just a small amount of compassion towards each other. Indeed, even on a physical level, the act of showing compassion can release oxytocin, which aside from it’s mental benefits has also been shown to help with blood pressure and heart health.

Spirituality and music clearly go hand in hand - vibration and frequency are very important factors that determine many facets of our life, even if we don’t realise it. There are (often “fringe”) views regarding ancient civilizations' ability to harness the power of vibration and use it as almost a technology of sorts, perhaps most famously with the Great Pyramids of Giza. It is supposed that to build the pyramids, built with blocks of stone of such mass that even modern technology would struggle to replicate their workmanship, some sort of vibrational technique was used to move such massive objects. Indeed, many researchers believe the Great Pyramid is actually “tuned” to a certain frequency - F#. More specifically, F# Major. Some believe this enabled the pyramid to resonate with the Earth’s natural harmonics, and even act as a source of free energy for the ancient civilizations. 

Water molecules also have vibrational properties, which again correspond to F# (as well as A# and C#). When you consider that it is estimated that around 70% of the human body is made up of water, clearly vibration and frequency has an intrinsic link to our physiological makeup (at the very least). Water is an undeniably significant and important feature of our planet, affecting everything from the weather to the continuation of life as we know it. If vibration is such a powerful medium and is so prevalent throughout our world, how can we best harness the power of it to benefit ourselves and the planet itself? Suddenly, ZenZone’s innate love of music and sound made sense, and the spirituality aspect was now staring him firmly in the face. So naturally, ZenZone started to ponder how to combine the two.

Following a loss of interest in electronic music and DJ’ing, around 3 years ago the ZenZone YouTube channel was created. This was a space for ZenZone to express his new found spirituality through his favourite medium: music. Wanting to create pieces that would help others when meditating, relaxing, sleeping, or even doing yoga, he set about writing as much music as possible, and uploading it to the channel for people to use for free. A selection of the pieces are available to download as an album - Sounds of ZenZone Vol.1 - over on Bandcamp, and there are many more pieces available on the ZenZone YouTube channel.  The pieces are usually inspired by nature, often featuring piano, strings, and even synthesisers as the listener is encouraged to explore the sonic space presented to them, with the idea being that they can utilise it however they see fit. While not always specifically centred around F#, there was a clear intent to create a vibrational zone which resonates with people on a spiritual level, even if perhaps they did not themselves realise it whilst listening. ZenZone is just as happy if people are using his music for relaxing as he is if they are using it to meditate - all that matters is that they enjoy it.

Adrian Freedman is a musician of extraordinary breadth. A composer and multi-instrumentalist specialising in the Shakuhachi, Zen flute of Japan. This instrument creates a unique and powerful sound that draws the listener into a place of intense stillness and of pure musical beauty.

Adrian lived for 8 years in Kyoto immersed in Zen music and meditation, studying the shakuhachi and collaborating with Japanese musicians. He later lived in the Brazilian Amazon immersed in in the medicine music rituals and ceremonies of the rainforest, and within this context he has received over 150 original medicine songs and chants.

Adrian has produced 15 albums of beautiful music. He has performed for H.H. The Dalai Lama, and collaborated in concerts with musicians on six continents around the world, always with the focus on music for meditation and healing.

Adrian’s music evokes a mood of heartfelt stillness, full of peace, spaciousness and delicate beauty. Transcendental acoustic music for the modern era. The scope of his music is diverse but an ineffable sense of the sacred is felt throughout.

Adrian has at different points in his life been immersed in a huge variety of classical, contemporary, folk and world music. He has played in many groups and ensembles, and lived in many different countries immersed in their different musical cultures. Ultimately all these different musical paths have led him to cultivate and deepen his interest in music for spiritual practice, healing and meditation.

Nowadays, his great mission is helping people to find their own path and reach the inner light through the sound and silence of transcendental acoustic music. Adrian is dedicated to sharing his music within the spirit of healing and the search for inner stillness.

“My life in music with all its contrasting musical forms, with all the people, places, performances and projects, has been an ongoing, unfolding journey of discovery and healing in which music is the guiding light, music is the flow, and music is the beating heart and soul.

At the same time, alongside this musical journey, there has always been a spiritual quest. Alongside the many concerts and recordings I have always had an interest in the world of music for meditation, music for sacred ritual and ceremony, music for devotional practice, and music for healing.

I believe that music can help bring us to a place where we can realign and reconnect with the deeper rhythms of nature and the cosmos, and with deeper understandings about the interdependent nature of all things in the visible and invisible universe.

When I first came across the sounds of traditional Japanese music I felt an instant attraction. Even though the sounds came from such a distant culture they felt somehow familiar. Later I would come to spend eight years living in Japan, in Kyoto, the ancient capital, where I became absorbed in studies of the shakuhachi – the Zen bamboo flute. I was fortunate to have a great teacher – shakuhachi master Yokoyama Katsuya.

Playing the shakuhachi is very much a solitary activity. Long hours of sitting quietly cross-legged on a cushion, playing the same long notes over and again, going deeper with each breath … into the sound, and through the sound to what lies beyond the sound … into the Ma – the great silence from which all sounds rise and fall.

When I was living in Japan immersed in this contemplative shakuhachi practice, I met one day some Brazilian singers that came from a spiritual community deep within the Amazon Rainforest. They invited me to take part in sacred music ceremonies they had come to host in Japan, and this encounter opened up a new musical dimension for me – the simple and sacred music of healing forest rituals.

I decided to leave Japan and go live in Brazil, where I entered onto a personal path of healing and spiritual practice, taking part in forest rituals where music and song plays a central role.

The music of the ancient shakuhachi and the music of Brazilian forest rituals are both rooted in tradition, while being open to new possibilities. Traditions like these flow freely like a river, allowing innovation and renewal to arise, as new music flows naturally from the source.

The message of my music has evolved as my own learning and my own healing journey has evolved. In a general sense you could say it’s a message for our times. What seems to be needed is an opening of the heart, an awareness of the subtle vibrations of the heart, and of the simple wisdom that lies deep within. From this place comes a sound that heals, that brings peace and tranquility, that purifies and uplifts… a transcendental acoustic music of the heart - Zen Heart Medicine Music”

Comments about Adrian’s music:

“A pure journey into the stillness of the heart, following the notes right to the limits of perception, and then realising you had taken us, with such perfect control, beyond our minds entirely.”

“These pieces let me dream again and again. Detached from the moment in which one dwells in everyday life, one enters a world of its own with your music. You bring it back to us like a precious gift, so that we do not forget it.”

“Your songs have opened my heart and made me connect with my soul directly. They bring me so much peace & calmness. Thank you for being a channel of light in these dark times.”

“The element that makes your music so significant for me is the feel, beyond the musicality - I know you still believe in Love and Peace - I can hear it in your music. ‘Following one's bliss’ shines out in the sound. Keep sending out the soulful vibrations.”

“Thank you Adrian for your beautiful songs that transmit calm, tranquility and peace. And thank you for all your wonderful soul-connecting, inspiring music - it is a lighthouse in a dark age.”

“I have repeatedly listened to your music - it allows me stillness in the of enormity of what you achieve, leaving a fragrance of peace. Please know that your commitment heals the heart. Something arrived that forever calmed my soul.”

From a shed in an Oxford Council Estate garden, to European tours and live performances on the BBC, this group of friends with a common interest in Hip Hop and the spiritual and physical connections it can bring is both an independent record label and an artist collective, containing various combinations of groups and solo artists comprised of it’s 10 Producers, Beat Makers, MCs and Singers. Renowned for vibrant live Hip hop performances, the Inner Peace Records family share an ethos of self reflection, positivity and the creation of a thought provoking sound. 

The collective began as a platform for a small group of friends in Oxford to release their Hip Hop projects. Over 20 releases, 2 European tours, thousands of online followers and a few BBC Live Sessions later, the label’s roster now holds 10 artists of various disciplines, living in Oxford, London and Los Angeles. 

Inner Peace Records' music creation often focuses on digitally sampling recordings of traditional instruments from all over the world. This gives a new lease of life to the way these instruments are played and interpreted, bridging a gap between traditional and modern music making and performance, ultimately helping the collective’s audience to engage with cultural material that they may not have deemed relevant to their personal experience.

“We’ve been on some adventures together,” says producer King Boyden, explaining the philosophy and friendship that binds Inner Peace Records together. “We’ve shared good times and faced adversity; this has brought us together and that is something that shows through the energy of our performances. We’ve developed a particular dynamic, comprised of the individual talents of our artists. This gives us a streamlined workflow with its own creative style.”

Inner Peace Records’ exact origins and history can be difficult to unravel at times, a tight-knit team who also exist as solo artists in their own rights. Many of the members were friends from school, while others have gravitated towards the collective or simply met through working and performing on the local hip hop scene. The roots of the collective began when beatmaker and MC Terao met rapper King Khan Shamanic (Shaman for short) at a job interview; Terao had a show lined up supporting GZA of Wu Tang Clan and invited Shaman to pass through. Terao subsequently introduced Shaman to his brother EarthONE – and the trio released the `UPC’ (Universal Protection Collective) album together in 2014. This album was the seed which would blossom into Inner Peace Records.  “Many of us grew up in similar circles and have know each other for some time,” adds King Boyden: “some of us were making music within our interlinked networks, some of us as solo artists; it was a natural progression for us to solidify ourselves under the banner of Inner Peace, particularly as we shared a common outlook.”

Since coalescing, Inner Peace have released a host of records, and hosted live shows all over Europe, notably their highly successful residency in Clapham. Their sets feature various levels of collaboration alongside individual sets. “It’s just about reading the crowd and creating a vibe that everyone can enjoy,” says Tiece; “cos we want to enjoy what we put out as much as people enjoy hearing it.” Tang the Pilgrim expands: “Our ability to respond to a crowd and be versatile has helped us cater for different gigs in different environments, from The Ashmolean Museum to stages hidden in the Italian Alps.”

Inner Peace’s live activities have taken them on two European tours. Terao: “Those tours solidified the family. We drove stupid far! Taking over Hill Street Blues in Amsterdam was crazy but every place we played was on point.” Rawz: “Just before the first tour I had recently played my first gig with the crew, a few weeks later I flew out to Amsterdam and met up with everyone as they were on the way back from Mandrea Music Festival in Italy; I can remember arriving at the camp and Terao standing at the top of the road waving the Inner Peace flag tied to a huge branch! That was an image that has stuck with me ever since. We played a six hour set that night with absolutely no plan and went down a storm. It felt so natural and I don’t think any of us really ever even doubted that it would be great. That flag still comes with us to most of our gigs, it’s got a lot of history!”

As well as being celebrated live performers, Inner Peace Records artists are known for the thought provoking content of their lyrics, Tang reflects: “I came to Oxford to study Philosophy, and it was during that time that Inner Peace Records was established. I feel that if you are seeking, then Oxford is an inspirational place, conducive to contemplative thought. We have been writing as a group long enough now that we can all sync up quite nicely and latch on to one another’s creative streams. Everyone knows their strengths.” 

Diverse in their talents and styles, Inner Peace records are nonetheless a tightly-knit collective of friends, a collective whose ethos of the greater good is reaping ever greater dividends; members of the collective recently developed a project called ‘Digging Crates’ working in collaboration with the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. They worked with a group of African musicians to explore the museum’s collection of African musical instruments and reinterpret the objects from the collection, taking audio samples from some of the instruments in the collections and also from recordings made of the musicians playing their own music inside the museum. These samples were used to create new Hip Hop tracks that were written and recorded inside the museum.

The project's lead artist Rawz says: “This was a hugely spiritual experience for me. I had underestimated the spiritual impact that it would have on me – I thought that it was just going to be fun to make tracks in the museum and sample some old instruments but actually, the project gave us a way to talk about the weight of the history of slavery and the outrageous abuses of the British Empire and colonialism, and share our views with each other. It gave us a chance to inform academics and researchers in the field about the impact that it’s had on us as non-academic people that are living with the legacies of these events.” An 8 track album containing their reflections is available at diggingcrates.bandcamp.com. A documentary film was also made, receiving great receptions at two public screenings.

Eclectic, versatile, charismatic and talented, Inner Peace Records open minds, bodies and spirits with everything they do. A group of friends above all else, the collective’s pull is irresistible, adding new followers they call “Lovers” to their expanding clan with every performance and new release. Described as “a more spiritual Fugees” by some and “Tribe Called Quest meets Wu Tang Clan” by others, Inner Peace Records have enjoyed favourable comparisons with the elite artists of their genre. From humble beginnings to becoming a well established team of polished solo artists, potent in the art of collaboration, Inner Peace Records is here for the past, present and future!